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John Sloan - Outdoors

Why must such a great tasting fish insist on biting best when it is cold enough to freeze the balls stacked around the canon at the Civil War museum? (Forgive the long sentence). Why must the wind always be blowing strong enough to jerk the words out of your mouth? Why must you stand there shaking like Wobble Gear Delong in an earthquake? Why is February such a good month for marble eyes?

I have no answer to the above questions but I wrote them just to set the tenor of this article. You may have guessed it is about walleye (sauger, saugeye) fishing. That of course is something about which I know pitifully little. In fact, I know less about it that Larry Woody. That is just about nothing. One thing I do know. I aint jigging no minner on a heavy jig up and down in 20-degree weather till my arm falls off. However, I tend to catch my share and then some, most of them weighing four pounds. I have no explanation for it just as I cannot explain how the Reflector keeps from sun burning his head. Here is an example.

The forecast is for a high for of 29. Twenty-nine, to me, is not high. Winds predicted to be from the north at 10, gusting to 20. Central Hill will be white capping like a wave on a milk bucket. Of course, we went Nashvilles Bob Julian and me. According to him, it would be perfect for walleye fishing.

Ask Ken Beck

McCarthy, 41, was born in Plainfield, Ill., and grew up on a farm in a large, Irish-Catholic family. Before her current role, which won her an Emmy Award last year, she played Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls and was in the movies Bridesmaids, Life as We Know It, The Nines and The Back-up Plan. She and her husband, actor Ben Falcone, have two daughters, ages 4 and 1. She will star later this year in the film This Is Forty and is slated to make two more movies, ID Theft and Tammy. The actress, who plays a schoolteacher on the show, says she often hears from fans about how the show seems to be about real people: I get a lot of comments that they love, that, you know, that Im a teacher or I have a sister that is a teacher. You look like a teacher. You dress like a teacher. Ive always had a thing where I hate where somebody is talking about, I cant pay the rent. Im like, You have a $3,000 handbag. We try to just stay real to the characters. They do such a great job . . . writing this kind of great little story and luckily we get to stay true to it.

General Lifestyle

Making that lovely sound in the groovy town comes second nature to WANT/WCOR deejayFred Burton, known as Fantastic Fred to countless listeners across the Mid-state.

Rhythm and blues scholar Burton, who began his radio career in Korea in the 1960s, has entered his sixth decade of spinning the hits, although these days the music he plays is no longer on 45 rpm records but on compact discs.

I was kind of a pioneer with rock n roll on FM radio, said Lebanon native Burton, who rain, snow or fair weather, can be caught on the air Saturdays from 7 p.m. to midnight. I went on FM five nights a week in the fall of 1971. Everybody else was (playing rock n roll) AM big time. I toldJack Hendrickson(then owner of the Lebanon radio station), Lets see how it will do, and it took off from there.Ive seen the music industry change from the good music to the junk music. The music today doesnt have any longevity to it like the old-school songs that you can identify with. A lot of music today is all computer generated. Theres not a nice string section or horn section. . . . I play a lot of 60s and 70s classics and dont care for rap. To me, its not saying anything. Its just a bunch of noise.

Making that lovely sound in the groovy town comes second nature to WANT/WCOR deejay Fred Burton, known as Fantastic Fred to countless listeners across the Mid-state.

Rhythm and blues scholar Burton, who began his radio career in Korea in the 1960s, has entered his sixth decade of spinning the hits, although these days the music he plays is no longer on 45 rpm records but on compact discs.

I was kind of a pioneer with rock n roll on FM radio, said Lebanon native Burton, who rain, snow or fair weather, can be caught on the air Saturdays from 7 p.m. to midnight. I went on FM five nights a week in the fall of 1971. Everybody else was (playing rock n roll) AM big time. I told Jack Hendrickson(then owner of the Lebanon radio station), Lets see how it will do, and it took off from there.Ive seen the music industry change from the good music to the junk music. The music today doesnt have any longevity to it like the old-school songs that you can identify with. A lot of music today is all computer generated. Theres not a nice string section or horn section. . . . I play a lot of 60s and 70s classics and dont care for rap. To me, its not saying anything. Its just a bunch of noise.

Burton has been planting himself in front of the console at the radio studio on Trousdale Ferry Pike most Saturday nights since 1970. The role fits the music man like a glove as he eases into his chair, headset in place and pops a CD into the player. This evening the soulful sounds come from the vocal cords, guitar strings and all the other instruments from such artists as B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, Johnnie Taylor; Solomon Burke, The Gap Band and Marvin Gaye.

Recently I read two books by authors who are associated with Vanderbilt University.

Holly Tucker is an associate professor at Vanderbilt Universitys Center for Medicine, Health, and Society and the Department of French and Italian. Her focus is on the history of medicine. A. Scott Pearson is a surgeon and a member of the surgical faculty at Vanderbilt University where he combines research with the clinical practice of surgery.

Our Feathered Friends

I heard from one of my good birding friends, Tammye Whitaker, this past weekend with news that her Great-Horned Owls have returned with mama sitting on eggs. She said that two Red-tailed Hawks also came and rebuilt the nest. They probably were the ones that built it in the first place. Great-Horned Owls will take a crow or hawk nest to use as a nursery.

That will come in handy as crows and hawks build the nest in the spring, and the G.H. Owl do their brooding and chick rearing during the winter months when the lack of leaves on the trees permits the silent hunter to be able to catch plenty of food for their family. The poor fowl-smelling skunk can be a special target for the Owl as the smell doesn't bother him and can be a delicacy. Yuck!

"My Bid" by Joe Biddle

After watching top-ranked Kentucky take Vanderbilt to school at Memorial Gym Saturday night, I came away overwhelmed by Kentucky and underwhelmed by Vanderbilt.

After all, the Commodores were ranked No. 7 in the country in at least one preseason poll. Some thought they would be a Final Four team, based on a senior dominated roster that had depth and players with SEC experience.

Column

Heres a Valentine question. Why do we use the word love so poorly when it should be so special? Actually, you can still comment about this after Valentines. Also, why do we say actually so much? LOL (laugh out loud and not lots of love as I dont know you)-Sometimes Romantic Reader

Well, this is after Valentines and youre reading with your mouths all full of chocolate or your hearts all broken because no candy (or roses or diamonds) showed up. Or you had to PAY for candy, roses, or diamonds (hey, maybe you bought it all, big guy!)

A blog called Askville on Amazon skillfully handles the actually issue. The question being asked on Askville (and in a highly-charged way) is, Is the word actually actually necessary? Listen for it youll be amazed!!! Lets fix this problem starting NOW!!!

The response: Who else has noticed how the word actually has pervaded conversations and cluttered the information we share? The resident expert on a news program will rattle off a dozen actually's during a two minute commentary. I suppose that's what makes him an expert. If you don't start every other sentence with actually, should I be wary of the possibility you are not credible? Or if you do, should I just be wary of the sentences in between? Perhaps if I say actually enough, you will listen and agree without feeling the need to expend your own intellectual effort to determine the merit of what I'm telling you. Actually is not used with evil intent, but it is overused and abused as a filler word to exude knowledgeable authority and announce, Listen up! I speak the truth! Actually does all this without adding any useful information. Saying actually is nothing more than announcing one's opinion of one's own opinion. [emphasis added] I mentioned this at a party and the room went dead

Id say it could run deeper; theres some societal broken trust here. Saying actually is a close cousin to saying I swear Im telling the truth, Honestly, I mean it, and others. We know were more than familiar with fibbing, both our own and that of others.

As to the use and abuse of love: Id love to comment oh, by the way, I love that scarf on you, and I love your car. I love those trees where you planted them, and I love your front door painted red. I love your haircut, too. I love going to the movies, and I love popcorn with butter. I love lots of butter. I love barbeque. I love pets. ETC.

No mention of God or man, but I can whittle down love there, too. I just love that God is love. I just love the new changes in our Sunday morning service. I just love that comedian. I just love that kid, the one with all the freckles.

Its a positive, enthusiastic word. Its not that we dont have anything else (theres always adore and weve processed it similarly.) I wonder if all thats so bad.

We seem to know well recognize something like a declaration of love (remember that old-fashioned term?) accompanying a marriage proposal. I love you, Kitten will be discernable from I love that kitten!

I think, actually, were pretty clear on the uses of love, which means were communicating well.

ONLINE DEPARTMENT Children Are Quick (Thanks, J. A.) TEACHER: Why are you late? STUDENT:Class started before I got here. TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America. MARIA: Here itis. TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discoveredAmerica? CLASS: Maria. TEACHER:John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor? JOHN:You told me to do it without using tables. TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell crocodile? GLENN:K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L TEACHER:No, that's wrong. GLENN:Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it. TEACHER:Donald, what is the chemical formula for water? DONALD:H I J K L M N O. TEACHER: What are you talking about? [I wish Id said that a lot more often.] DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O. TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago. WINNIE: Me! TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty? GLEN:Well, I'm alot closer to the ground than you are. TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with I. MILLIE: I is. TEACHER:No, Millie. Always say, Iam. MILLIE: All right. I am the ninth letter of the alphabet. TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it.Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him? LOUIS: Because George still hadthe axe in his hand? TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating? SIMON:No sir, I don't have to, my mom is a good cook. TEACHER:Clyde, yourcomposition called My Dog is exactly the same as yourbrother's. Did you copy his? CLYDE: No, maam. It's the same dog. TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longerinterested? HAROLD:A teacher. [Grrrr.]

Guest Column

As we observe happenings in our world, so often we see the values of good families making them evident to us.

Recently, the Super Bowl was played and Eli Manning and the New York Giants carried the day. Eli was voted the Most Valuable Player and I believe rightfully so. As I read his words after the win, the quality of Elis inner being made itself evident. How did he come to be such a man?

In days of yore, Elis father, Archie Manning, was the quarterback for the old New Orleans Saints pro team. Archie was considered one of the top quarterbacks of his era and yet he won few games. Just the same, he gave his all and never complained about his lot as a player. Somewhere along the line he married a lovely girl, Olivia. How do I know this? Look at the quality sons they have reared. Look at the quiet way she and Archie observe their two sons who live in the limelight of todays professional players. With money and fame, why do some people stick to the high road and set such great examples?

You know Archie and Olivia have a third son, Cooper. He was hurt playing football and had to give up the game. Whenever you see him mentioned you see no evidence of jealousy of his brothers who are in the news daily.

Most of us know Peyton Manning and we know he is one of the greats of all times with Indianapolis Colts. We know that he was disabled this year with numerous neck operations. It was his leadership of this team that caused the great field house where the Super Bowl game was played to be built. Did you see Peyton at the game? I did not, but I bet somewhere in that structure he sat where he could not be seen. It was his brothers day and he did not want to detract from his play in any way. You know some think Peyton will never play again. I hope he does, and I hope he plays well.

When did I learn of the quality of Peyton Manning? At the University of Tennessee he was a great college quarterback. He was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. He graduated from college in three years but stayed and played his fourth year of eligibility. I wrote of him at that time, Peyton Manning, if he never plays a down of professional football, will be a success at whatever he seeks to do. With a level head, high IQ and the will to succeed, one has all the attributes but his home had taught him the virtues so needed in our society.

Eli is much quieter than is his older brother. Nevertheless, it is evident that he leads his team and they react to him much the same as Peytons team reacts to him. Eli was a great college quarterback at Ole Miss. With this ability and an IQ that has to be high, he is moving toward greater fame each year.

Our society seems to have to have a winner in every walk of life. Peyton is hurt and it seems some dont want him to return to football. Some believe Eli is as great, or greater, than is his brother. I look at the reaction of two brothers and what do I see?

Archie says Peyton and Eli talk to each other most every day. They confide in one another. There is no evidence of animosity. Eli is quoted as being very unhappy with the comparisons being made at this time.

It appears that Archie and his wife raised boys who love one another. They pull for one another. They let each other have their day of glory with no jealousy.

How much better our world would be if we all reared our children to walk the high road of life as have the Mannings.

Editors Note: Mr. W.H. Waters is a resident of Lebanon and a contributor to The Wilson Posts Opinions page.

At the Movies

Since the 84th Annual Academy Awards are coming up on Sunday, Feb. 26, Im looking at a few contenders for Best Picture, starting with War Horse, a film directed by Steven Spielberg and distributed by Touchstone Pictures.

I always make picks on who will win each category, and some years I do great, like in 2009 when I got behind The Hurt Locker, which won six Oscars. I also do poorly sometimes, such as 2008 when I was predicting There Will Be Blood would clean house, but only won two of its six nominations.

This year my favorite and who Im hitching my wagon to is War Horse, a story of young Albert Narracott, played by Jeremy Irvine, and the thoroughbred horse he names Joey. The two forge a remarkable bond through Alberts training of Joey and their determination to prove that Joey can carry his weight on the family farm despite not being a plough horse.

Joey is then drafted into the British Cavalry on the eve of World War I and later Albert also enlists. Although the war and many miles separate the two, the film depicts a friendship and determination in both Albert and Joey that was absolutely stunning.

General News

State officials say District 17 State Sen. Mae Beavers could face a monetary penalty of up to $10,000 for failing to disclose what she says is a $50,000 loan in 2010, although it is unlikely the Tennessee Ethics Board would levy such a penalty because the loan was disclosed this week, almost two years after the transaction.

Audit Director Jay Moeck with the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance said the loan, which was reportedly made in May 2010, would have to be disclosed at that time.

Some loans need to be disclosed, some dont, but a business loan like that certainly would need to be, Moeck said, adding the Ethics Commission would have to see the details of the transaction.

A recent lawsuit filed in Wilson County Chancery Court by Beavers and her husband Jerry Beavers claims Katheryne Belle received a $50,000 loan from Beavers to purchase a portion of interest in a Macon County newspaper. Belle, along with others, was seeking to purchase the newspaper. However, Belle, in her answer filed Tuesday to Beavers complaint, says Beavers financial contribution was an investment.

According to Statement of Disclosure of Interests form on the Ethics Commission website, Beavers failed to mention the $50,000 loan to Belle in her statement filed in April 2011. According to the lawsuit, Beavers loan was given on or around May 26, 2010.

Former State Rep. Susan Lynn, a political foe of Beavers, wrote on her Facebook page that Beavers committed an ethics violation for not disclosing the loan at the time it was given in 2010. She said state law requires loans of more than $10,000 to be disclosed with the Ethics Commission.

It is on her current disclosure form, Moeck said, which could be enough to avoid a monetary penalty against Beavers.

Moeck said failure to disclose could result in a Class 2 Civil Penalty of up to $10,000. However, since the loan is currently disclosed, if an ethics complaint was filed, the Ethics Commission is unlikely to administer the penalty.

They are less likely to do anything since it is currently disclosed, Moeck said.

Lynn also questioned Beavers ethics in buying an interest in a newspaper within her district and not disclosing the information to the Ethics Commission. Lynn, who was accused and cleared of an Ethics violation during the 2010 campaign, when she ran against Beavers, said investments must also be filed with the Ethics Commission.

In the lawsuit, Beavers claims the $50,000 was not an investment in a Limited Liability Corporation, but a loan to Belle and her nephew John Cook.

The lawsuit also claims that Belle and Cook have made some payments on the loan, but not all required payments. It states Cook and Belle have failed to make payments that were requested of principle or interest. Beavers states in her complaint that there was no promissory note signed and no collateral provided by Belle.

Beavers also filed the Statement of Disclosure form on Jan. 30, 2012 with the Ethics Commission and that form contains no mention of the loan to Belle.

However, another form was filed on Monday, Feb. 13, in which Beavers lists Belle and Cook under the Sources of Income, with a pass through interest on personal loan.

The form filed on Feb. 13 indicates no actual income is obtained from the loan or payments from Belle and Cook on the loan.

The defendant in a lawsuit filed by State Sen. Mae Beavers over the purchase of a newspaper in Macon County has essentially denied any claims by Beavers that would warrant a payment in damages of $50,000.

The answer to Beavers' complaint also names a second high profile political personality who was to be an investor in the newspaper deal.

Kathryn Belle, a principal in a limited liability corporation (LLC) that entered into a contract almost two years ago to buy The Macon County Chronicle from MainStreet Media, owners of The Wilson Post and other newspapers in Middle Tennessee, was sued by Beavers and her husband Jerry Beavers in December 2011 claiming that they had loaned Belle $50,000 to buy the newspaper.

However, Belle in her answer filed with the Chancery Court in Wilson County Tuesday, said Beavers contribution to the fund to acquire the newspaper was not a loan as Beavers claimed but instead was an investment.

Lebanon attorney Keith Williams is representing Belle in the matter.

The LLC, Choice Community Newspapers, was to pay a total of $360,000 for the newspaper over a period of several weeks. The company made two payments of $50,000 each and then defaulted on paying the balance resulting in MainStreet Media reclaiming the newspaper and selling it to another entity.

Beavers alleged in the suit against Belle that a $50,000 cashiers check handed to Belle to help facilitate the purchase of the newspaper was a loan that was to be paid back. However, Belle in her answer states that Beavers was one member of the investor group that was to purchase and operate The Macon County Chronicle.

Other investors listed by Belle in her answer to the Beavers' complaint included Lou Ann Zelenik, a resident of Murfreesboro who was a candidate in the Republican primary two years ago for the Sixth District Congressional seat, and a former owner and publisher of The Macon County Chronicle, John Cook.

Zelenik was defeated in that political campaign by U.S. Rep. Diane Black.

According to Belle's answer, Beavers $50,000 investment in the LLC was hand-delivered to Belle in the form of a CedarStone Bank cashiers check made payable to MainStreet Media.

On May 26, 2010 the Co-Plaintiff Mae Beavers invested $50,000.00 in the venture, which was to be used to make the installment that was due on May 21, 2010 to MainStreet Media. This investment was funded through a cashier's check issued by CedarStone Bank, payable to MainStreet Media LLC from Choice Community Newspaper LLC," Belle's answer states.

Belle states further that the payment made by Beavers was for the specific purpose of investing in the venture and to make payment of the May 21, 2010 installment due to MainStreet Media for purchase of the Macon County Chronicle.

Arguing in the complaint that the funding was a loan, Beavers said Belle and Cook accepted the $50,000 with the understanding that they were to pay an interest rate of 6 percent and that the note was payable on demand to purchase a portion of interest in a newspaper business.

The complaint also states that Belle and Cook have made numerous payments on the loan, although according to a filing made Monday by the senator concerning her financial commitment in the transaction she has received no income.

In the early 20th Century, Sears, Roebuck and company President Julius Rosenwald funded the construction of schools throughout the South built by and for African Americans.

Benjamin Nance of the Environment and Conservation for the State of Tennessee, Division of Archeology, will present a program on the countys Rosenwald Schools on Saturday, Feb. 25, in honor of Black History Month.

The event, which begins at 1 p.m. at the Lebanon/Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, 149 Public Square in Lebanon, is sponsored by the Roy Bailey African American History Center and Museum, There is no charge for admission, but donations are appreciated.

The museum, at 115 East Main Street, Suite B, in Lebanon, is dedicated to showcasing the history and achievements of African American citizens in Wilson County.

The success of the Roy Bailey Museum depends totally on the citizens of Wilson County, said Wilson County Black History Committee President Mary Harris. We are deeply grateful for the help of the community, and would like to thank each individual, each organization, each church, each foundation and each business for your support.

For more information about Black History Month events in Lebanon, call the Roy Bailey African American History Center and Museum at 449-2911.

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., that state laws separating African American and white public schools was unconstitutional, however it would be several years later before Wilson County desegregated its schools.

In the spring of 1961, the Rev. Cordell Sloan is agreed by many to be the catalyst for local school desegregation efforts. He enrolled his sons, Cordell Sloan Jr., and Clifford Sloan, in McClain Elementary School.

Both of Sloans sons were refused admission to the school.

Several Wilson County farmers put up their land to pay for the services of Nashville attorneys Avon Williams and Z. Alexander Lobby to file a lawsuit against the Wilson County School System.

Roy E. Bailey of Mt. Juliet brought many of the farmers together to get them involved, as well as worked to create support for the lawsuit throughout the community. Also, in August 1961, many students attempted to register at Lebanon High School, however Principal Charles Neighbors refused to enroll them.

In September 1961, a judge ruled in the favor of the plaintiffs and segregation in Wilson County schools was ended, along with segregation in two other counties.

Sloan Jr., attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn., and studied Physics and Economics. The Sloan family moved to Philadelphia in 1966. The Rev. Sloan passed away in 1987 due to a heart attack.

Information for this article was found in the book In Their Own Voices, An Account of the Presence of African Americans in Wilson County, published in 1999.

From Post staff reportsEarly voting for the Presidential Primary in Tennessee began today with only one Democrat on the ballot, President Barrack Obama, and nine Republicans listed.

Voters should be aware that for the first time in Tennessee a photo identification is required in order for registered voters to cast their respective votes.However, there have been no changes in the laws that govern absentee voting.

The Presidential Primary Election Day is Tuesday, March 6. Early voting will end on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Early voting is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on the two Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Local voters can visit three locations for early voting including, the Wilson County Election Commission office at 228 E. Main Street in Lebanon, the Watertown Community Center on Sparta Pike and the Mt. Juliet Community Center at 1075 Charlie Daniels Pkwy..

Wilson County Election Coordinator Phillip Warren said there are currently 53,000 registered voters in Wilson County. He noted that participation in early voting ranges from 30 to 50 percent.

In 2008, the last Presidential Primary, Warren said that 20,646 votes were cast and about 4,000 were cast during early voting. That is roughly 20 percent of the overall votes cast.

The Election Commission has been training many volunteers leading up to early voting and Warren noted last week they had nearly 300 trained. He said all 37 polling stations for the General Election would be fully staffed.

A sample ballot for the Presidential Primary election will be published in The Wilson Post Friday. The advertisement in The Post is being published free of charge to the Wilson County Election Commission as a public service for the readers of this newspaper.

Warren said the sample ballot is being published as a paid advertisement in only The Lebanon Democrat and Mt. Juliet News for this election in an effort to save the county money.

In previous elections, sample ballots had been published in all county newspapers. Warren said in the last Presidential Primary the county paid more than $20,000 for election advertising. This year he said the bill will run around $5,000.

While The Post is running the sample ballot advertisement free of charge for this election, Warren said he will authorize The Wilson Post to receive the paid version of the sample ballot for the August election.

"We'll do you all next time," Warren told The Post, explaining his plan to rotate the paid advertising for the election that is required by law.

He also noted that the county's election office website will be tracking the number of voters each day in the Primary. He said those interested may visit www.wilsonelections.com and go to the bottom of the web page to see the report titled "Voters" in order to review the number of those voting.

A change in corporate structure has been announced by MainStreet Media, the company that owns and publishes The Wilson Post and other Middle Tennessee newspapers.

Sam Hatcher has been elected chairman of the MSM board of directors and Matt Garrett has been appointed the company's chief executive officer and president.

Garrett joined MSM almost a year ago and brings to the company significant management experience developed through the creation and operation of his own company, Efficient Fitness, a successful health and fitness start-up business launched almost four years ago that is geared toward serving a client base comprised primarily of working men and women in downtown Nashville.

Hatcher is to remain active with MSM but will also be afforded the opportunity to pursue other interests including teaching. He currently serves as a Senior Fellow, and faculty member with Lipscomb University's Nelson and Sue Andrews Institute for Civic Leadership.

MSM was started in 2003 when the company acquired The Wilson World and transformed that publication into The Wilson Post, a community newspaper published twice weekly and now with more readership than any other publication serving Wilson County.

MSM also owns newspapers in Gallatin and Hendersonville, has a major web printing operation in Lebanon, and shares a marketing brokerage association with newspapers in three other Middle Tennessee markets including Franklin, Lafayette and Smithville.

Garrett, a graduate of the University of Tennessee and Montgomery Bell Academy prep school in Nashville, was raised in Goodlettsville, where his family has long been active in banking, the funeral home business and politics. His father, Tim Garrett; grandfather and uncle, the late Claude and Johnny Claude Garrett respectively; all were graduates of Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon.

"We're particularly pleased that Matt has chosen to join our company and bring with him a certain passion and excitement about community news and the opportunities that exists before us for the future in our industry," Hatcher said.

In recent months Garrett has been engaged in developing a new digital emphasis for MSM in which the focus ensures that MSM news entities are the dominant news sources in each of the markets they serve in Middle Tennessee.

"I understand and appreciate that what makes us different as newspapers and as news gathering and reporting agents is that our first commitment is to the communities we serve," Garrett said.

In college at UT Garrett was a letterman in baseball and held a number of key leadership posts with his fraternity Sigma Chi.

The defendant in a lawsuit filed by State Sen. Mae Beavers over the purchase of a newspaper in Macon County has essentially denied any claims by Beavers that would warrant a payment in damages of $50,000.

The answer to Beavers' complaint also names a second high profile political personality who was to be an investor in the newspaper deal.

Kathryn Belle, a principal in a limited liability corporation (LLC) that entered into a contract almost two years ago to buy The Macon County Chronicle from MainStreet Media, owners of The Wilson Post and other newspapers in Middle Tennessee, was sued by Beavers and her husband Jerry Beavers in December 2011 claiming that they had loaned Belle $50,000 to buy the newspaper.

However, Belle in her answer filed with the Chancery Court in Wilson County Tuesday, said Beavers contribution to the fund to acquire the newspaper was not a loan as Beavers claimed but instead was an investment.

Lebanon attorney Keith Williams is representing Belle in the matter.

The LLC, Choice Community Newspapers, was to pay a total of $360,000 for the newspaper over a period of several weeks. The company made two payments of $50,000 each and then defaulted on paying the balance resulting in MainStreet Media reclaiming the newspaper and selling it to another entity.

Beavers alleged in the suit against Belle that a $50,000 cashiers check handed to Belle to help facilitate the purchase of the newspaper was a loan that was to be paid back. However, Belle in her answer states that Beavers was one member of the investor group that was to purchase and operate The Macon County Chronicle.

Other investors listed by Belle in her answer to the Beavers' complaint included Lou Ann Zelenik, a resident of Murfreesboro who was a candidate in the Republican primary two years ago for the Sixth District Congressional seat, and a former owner and publisher of The Macon County Chronicle, John Cook.

Zelenik was defeated in that political campaign by U.S. Rep. Diane Black.

According to Belle's answer, Beavers $50,000 investment in the LLC was hand-delivered to Belle in the form of a CedarStone Bank cashiers check made payable to MainStreet Media.

On May 26, 2010 the Co-Plaintiff Mae Beavers invested $50,000.00 in the venture, which was to be used to make the installment that was due on May 21, 2010 to MainStreet Media. This investment was funded through a cashier's check issued by CedarStone Bank, payable to MainStreet Media LLC from Choice Community Newspaper LLC," Belle's answer states.

Belle states further that the payment made by Beavers was for the specific purpose of investing in the venture and to make payment of the May 21, 2010 installment due to MainStreet Media for purchase of the Macon County Chronicle.

Arguing in the complaint that the funding was a loan, Beavers said Belle and Cook accepted the $50,000 with the understanding that they were to pay an interest rate of 6 percent and that the note was payable on demand to purchase a portion of interest in a newspaper business.

The complaint also states that Belle and Cook have made numerous payments on the loan, although according to a filing made Monday by the senator concerning her financial commitment in the transaction she has received no income.

Sixth District U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, said that Wilson County residents as well as most Americans are frustrated with high jobless rates and a government that spends more than it receives during a town hall meeting Monday night.

Black held the meeting at the Wilson County Board of Education in Lebanon and invited citizens to speak their concerns.

People are frustrated, they are just frustrated that we have growing debt and that we have jobless rates and theyre just frustrated with the way things are going, she said.

Black noted during the recent trip through her district where she held meetings in Wilson, Sumner and Robertson County, she has been assuring her constituents that she is working for the hard-working taxpayer.

She said the American people are frustrated with the current policies of President Barack Obamas administration and said the unwillingness of the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate and the President to work with Republicans is preventing many things from being done.

Its very difficult to get things done with an unwilling partner in the Senate and an unwilling partner in the Presidency, Black said.

Black said visiting with citizens and business owners in her district is a key part of representing the people. She said the input and opinions she receives from people in the 6th District allow her to figure out what her constituents want her to do in Congress.

Also, Black said she had not seen the budget proposal released by Obama on Monday, but noted it was a budget that spends more than what you bring in. She said Americans are deeply frustrated with the fact that the federal government is spending more than its revenues.

As a member of the House Budget Committee, Black said the place where cuts need to be made is in discretionary spending. She indicated the mandatory spending accounts for 62 percent of the federal budget.

She likened the mandatory budget to auto pilot and said laws must change in order to change the mandatory spending portion. She also said there may be things she likes in Obamas proposed budget and things she doesnt like.

However, she said shes heard the budget continues to call for more federal spending than revenues.

Weve got to be serious about saying this budget process cannot just go on the way it is where we continue to spend more than we bring in and until you deal with the mandatory side of it, its just not going to happen.

A report from the Tennessee Department of Safety said Moore was driving a 2001 Ford F250 pickup truck southbound on Beckwith Road when it crossed the centerline and went off the left side of the road and into a ditch, striking a tree. The vehicle continued on another 75 feet, the report said, coming to a final rest and catching on fire.

The accident happened about 2:30 a.m., Sunday.

Moore was not wearing his seat belt, however, the trooper who investigated the accident noted in the report that wearing one would not have made a difference.

There was no indication that alcohol or drug abuse were involved, but because a fatality occurred, both tests were requested as is standard in such cases.

General Sports

Cumberlands baseball team will bring a record of 2-4 into todays home opener vs. Milligan College at Ernest L. Stockton Field. A 12 Noon first pitch is planned for the doubleheader -- two, seven-inning games.

Today marks the first of 20 home dates planned for the 2012 season, some 27 scheduled games.

The No. 7 ranked Bulldogs lost all three games at the Belhaven Invitational to three ranked teams, managing just 16 hits combined in the three contests.

LAFAYETTE -- Junior Kristen Vantrease knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points to lead Watertown to a 57-53 victory over Friendship Christian in Tuesday night's opening game of the District 8A basketball tournament.

Watertown improved to 18-11 overall and will advance to a 6:30 p.m. semifinal game Thursday vs. No. 1-seeded Gordonsville.

The Tigerettes led 33-22 at intermission, only to see FCS go on a 21-9 third quarter run to seize a 43-42 lead after three. Watertown out-scored the Lady Commanders 15-10 in the final eight minutes as Vantrease drilled a 3-pointer with about two minutes left, then Jordan Brewington connected on two free throws to ice the game.

Hailey Speck had 15 points while Brewington and Morgan Gartner each had seven.

Friendship was led by 27 points from the dynamic Deja Jones; Andi Morrisett had 10 and Kaitlyn Teeter eight. FCS ended the season 7-16 overall.